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it is exactly three weeks until election day. polling showing kamala harris and donald trump in a dead heat. and in the final stretch of the race, one group is on a to black voters. new tension between china and taiwan as china conducts military drills around the island. beijing calling it a warning to sw taiwan's independent movement. the latest in the ongoing cleanup efforts. and meemeet the little girl big voice making a name for herself as a mariachi champion. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. with just three weeks to go

until election day, vice president harris is expanding her media tour. her campaign revealing she will sit down with bret baier for a first interview with fox news. it will air tomorrow evening. and harris may appear on one of the most popular podcasts in the country. two sources tell reuters that harris campaign officials met with joe rogan's team, but an interview has not been confirmed. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more from the campaign trail. >> reporter: with just 22 days to go, both candidates on a battleground blitz, each in pennsylvania. >> let me just give you the bottom line, though. we win pennsylvania, we win this great commonwealth, we goare gog to win the whole ball game. it's such an important place. >> we are the underdog. we are running like the underdog. we have some hard work ahead of us. but here's the thing also. we like hard work. >> reporter: and now zeroing in

on trump's response when asked about concerns election day would not be peaceful. >> i think the bigger problem are the people from within. we have some sick people, radical left lunatics. and i think they're, and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by national guard or, if really necessary, by the military. because they can't let that happen. >> reporter: tim walz firing back. >> donald trump over the weekend was talking about using the u.s. army against people who disagree with him. >> reporter: while jd vance defended his running mate. >> you have a major reaction to an election in 2024, of course you ought to commit law enforcement resources to bring order back to our cities. >> reporter: it all comes as our new nbc news poll shows trump g gaining momentum. and asked about the trump administration's policies, more americans said those policies helped them, while more americans described the policies of the biden-harris administration as hurting them.

>> if we show up, we'll win. >> reporter: the harris campaign now calling in reenforcements. former president clinton. what do you think this election comes down to? >> who wants it bad enough and whether we can get, you know, an honest count. >> reporter: days after former president obama warned harris lacked enthusiasm among some black men, the harris campaign is rolling out new proposals, including loans for black entrepreneurs. >> i think kamala harris has reenergized our party. i think that she has provided us with a sense of hope that we have not seen since the obama days. >> reporter: but trump supporters say that's not enough. >> everything's so much to live, and barely anybody can afford it nowadays. >> reporter: there's a new showdown over the candidates' medical records. harris is slamming trump for refusing to reveal his medical records after she released a letter from her white house doctor who said she's in excellent health. the trump team says it released a letter from his physician last

year, although it wasn't as detailed. back to you. >> gabe, thank you. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has told the biden administration that israel will retaliate against military targets in iran. rather than oil or nuclear facilities. that's according to the "washington post" citing two officials familiar with the matter. israel has been vowing to strike back against iran for their ballistic missile attack on october 1st. the barrage killed one person, a palestinian in the occupied west bank. now to tensions in east asia after china announced large-scale war games around taiwan's main island. taiwan's defense ministry called the drills a provocation and confirmed that they were prepared to respond. nbc's janis mackey frayer has the latest from beijing. >> reporter: the show of power was launched before dawn. china sending its army, navy, air force and rocket force to completely surround taiwan. in a single day, the drills involved a record 125 chinese

military aircraft and 34 naval vessels, including an eaircraft carrier. taiwan then scrambled its fighter jets and warships and condemned china for what officials called unreasonable provocation. now china made no secret of what was driving the maneuvers. it was a warning, they say, to any, quote, taiwan separatist forces, after accusing taiwan's president, lai, of promoting independence in his address last week. in that speech, lai said beijing had no right to represent taiwan, but he also said he would work with china on issues like climate change. the offer of goodwill did not go over very well in beijing where lai is neither liked nor trusted. they said what i can tell you is that train taiwan independence is

incompatible. it showed the scope and scale. the u.s. said it was seriously concerned about the escalation here. china last launched drills in may when lai was sworn in. this time was framed as the sequel with the promise of more. janis mackey frayer, nbc news, beijing. new jersey authorities are investigating a train crash that killed one and injured another 23 people yesterday morning. the train smashed into a large tree that had fallen on the tracks just outside of trenton. the train's operator was killed. transit officials described other injuries as mostly minor. authorities say an armed north carolina man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly making comments about possibly harming fema employees responding to hurricane helene. 44-year-old william jacob parsons was arrested saturday after a soldier who allegedly witnessed the threats called police. the officials say parsons was carrying a handgun and rifle at the time of his arrest. he was charged with making the

threat and has since been released on $10,000 bond. meanwhile, florida continues to clean up after being hit by hurricane milton last week. the death toll now up to 24. 200,000 residents are still without power. nbc's stephanie gosk is in florida with the latest. >> reporter: i'm standing on manasota key, arguably, the slice of land on the west coast of florida that was the hardest hit by wind and storm surge of any other place on the west coast of florida. and behind me is a mountain of sand. they keep bringing dump trucks filled with sand. it keeps getting higher and higher. this is the sand they're actually taking off of the streets of manasota key, and it keeps piling up. it is both hurricane helene and hurricane milton on top of each other. now people in this area are finally getting access back to their homes. many of which are completely destroyed.

and it is incredibly sad for a lot of people who have lived here for generations, because they are going to have to rebuild. and they just rebuilt two years ago. now there are some positive things coming out of florida. in the last 24 hours, the lines for gas are lessening a little bit. you have kids going back to school, stores are opening. there are some signs of life, but this rebuilding of florida is going to take a long time. and a lot of the people that we speak to here in florida on the west coast, especially in places like this, they are looking at a terrible calculus, and that is, do i stay and spend all of the money that i have to rebuild again? or do i leave and give up what is, they say, their paradise? back to you. >> what a predicament. stephanie gosk, thank you. a fall freeze is setting in across new england. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking those temperatures for us. hi, angie, good morning. how low are we going to go?

>> hi, we are chilly for a good chunk of the country. 40 million people under these alerts from the plains to the midwest and into parts of the northeast. and we've got those up for a good reason. look at some of these temperatures. 40 in grand rapids. 39 for madison. 30 degrees in watertown. scranton into the mid-30s. pittsburgh sitting in the low 40s right now. and our afternoon temperatures aren't that much warmer than where we currently stand. we'll make it to the 50s in milwaukee and st. louis. low 60s for richmond. look how whararm it is out west. split seasons happening here. out west we remain well above normal. but we've got the 50s for cincinnati, 55 for new york. low 50s in asheville. and that continues for the next couple days. then we see a slow increase. temperatures back to more typical ranges by friday and saturday in cleveland and new york. we'll re s for

indianapolis. rain in the forecast for cleveland with high of 55 degrees. mid-60s in new york city today. and that's a look at your forecast, frances. back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. wall street aiming to build on a record day for markets this morning. the dow climbed 200 points, finishing above 43,000 for the first time. the s&p 500 also closed at a record high, fueled by a rally for nvidia shares. "early today" is back in a minute with a race to get sorovoters to the polls. and an on-stage scare for and an on-stage scare for olivia rodrigo six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. can a body wash transform your chest,

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vote. mejia brown has the story. >> reporter: this bus brings along the celebration of music. ♪ ♪ tasty barbecues and inspirational energy. >> on november 5th, we get a chance to address those issues. >> reporter: ahead of the 2024 election, it brings the black vote to the polls in november. >> meeting people where they are. it's bringing them what we're used to. what we do great as a black community, which is really embracing our culture. >> reporter: founded in 2016, it has a goal of increasing power in predominantly black communities and getting them to engage with one another. just this year, they have registered more than 19,000 black voters. >> we've seen the data that says when we do a polling place party, the turnout at that

location tendins to be higher. >> reporter: the number of black voters in the country is projected to reach 34.4 million. however, there is a large gap in voter turnout. while 43% of white voters cast their ballot in the last election, only 27% of black voters made it to the polls. >> we talk about what it means to be a black voter and what it means for your vote to count, and what it means to bring others with you. >> reporter: they make stops in battleground states at historically black colleges and universities, and in low-income communities that lack accessible information about voting. >> that bus comes into communities, especially communities that don't often get something like that, we've seen all kinds of reactions where people either break out and dance or break out in tears, tears of joy. >> thank you. >> reporter: the bus recently

stopped in philadelphia. a population that is 40% black and interacted with college students and members of the local naacp. in 2023, the organization connected with over 25 institutions to meet with young black and brown voters. >> sometimes they're not old enough to vote, but they understand the work that they're doing. >> reporter: students say they enjoy the community feel that black voters matter brings. >> either just sign up other people. i was like, anything that assists, helping black people get the education and getting out there for our voices, i said sign me up. >> reporter: in the coming days leading up to the election, black voters matter plan to sponsor billboards in battleground states and drive the bus to alabama, florida and georgia. they want black voters to know their voices need to be heard on election day. >> so we're making sure that

people understand that they've got some fight in them. they've got some power in them. and they can truly, truly go to the polls on november 5th to exercise their right to vote, and they have support. >> that was maya brown reporting. a free award-winning program focussed on advancing career journalism, media and tech. the world of documentaries, find out which era of the fab four is getting the doc four is getting the doc treatment. with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection,

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there are rumors around that this is britain's revenge for the boston tea party. 3,000 screaming teenagers are at new york's kennedy airport to greet, you guessed it, the beatles. this rock 'n roll group has taken over as the kingpins of music appreciation among the younger elements. >> the trip to change music is being immortalized. beatles '64, a new documentary is heading disney+ on november

29th. the film, produced by oscar winner martin scorsese will feature never-before-seen footage from the fab four's vi visit. to do it through the eyes of martin s ma martin scorsese has got to be spectacular. he's done one on the rolling stones. >> all the greats. >> and never-before-seen footage. can't wait for that. now to a brutal on-stage gaffe for olivia rodrigo. she didn't notice a gaping hole in the stage until it was too late. [ screaming ] >> oh, my god, that was fun! i'm okay! >> olivia quickly brushed the incident off and got back to the show. she was even able to make light of the show. i mean, i guess mistakes happen.

but somebody's going to be answering for that hole in the stage? >> that could have been so dangerous. she could have gotten hurt. but you see her where she comes right over here. you see her hands, and she got her mic right back on there. >> the recovery, woo. when we come back, we've got the details on a massive recall for nearly 10 million pounds of meat and a concerning new study showing the impact covid has on down the sto ry. so i've been having these headaches that wouldn't go away. my mom, she was just crying. what they said, your son has brain cancer. brayden's mother: it was your worst fear coming to life. narrator: watching your child grow up is the dream of every parent. you can join the battle to save the lives of kids like brayden, by supporting st. jude children's research

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cecilia trevino introduces us to the singins to the singing sensation. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: no lyrics or music is needed for little alessandra gutierrez who sings mariachi songs from the heart. one hidden talent that came out by chance. >> last year we went on a trip to guadalajara. i kind of bribed her. i said, if you sing with the mariachi while we're out there, that would give you $100. we went to a restaurant. there was a mariachi there, and i called them over, and then this one grabbed the chair, stands up on it and just goes to town. >> reporter: just a year after that, alessandra was competing at a national level. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: but just as she started her performance -- >> and then the music turned off. and, and, and then i just started doing a cappella.

>> reporter: with her quick thinking, also came amazed reactions from the public. >> i saw a lot of faces. >> reporter: how were the faces? >> like -- >> reporter: >> like -- >> reporter: al tessandra's famy believes that helped her win. [speaking in a global language] showing her adaptation skills while she made the song her own. holding notes longer than the original track. now she's on to take the mariachi world by storm. >> and being that she's so young, and she's already done so much in this one year, somehow she's got something very special in her that's just developed. ♪ ♪ >> such a big, big voice for that little person. adorable at that. our thanks to cecilia trevino for that report. if you want halloween to last all year, one connecticut man has a hand-crafted solution. 28-year-old christopher sherknacky makes forever

jack-o'-lanterns. each one is unique. >> i leave them as-is, for people to spray paint and color them how they want. i also do custom orders. the most enjoyment i get out of it is driving around town and sighing the actual jack-o'-lanterns on people's porches. because i know that's my work. >> the best part for people there? the jack-o'-lanterns, you can use them for years to come. the 51st world championship pumpkin weigh-off in california found its winner. a minnesota horticulture teacher grew a pumpkin weighing in at 2,471 pounds, making him the reigning champion four years in

against both uber and lyft. the calls were changed this morning andla